


Show Me Yours and I'll Show You Mine

by frau_kali



Category: X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Established Relationship, Fluff, Gay Mutant Road Trip, M/M, Mild Smut, Mutant Powers, POV Alternating, Power Sharing, Telepathy, metal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-26
Updated: 2015-04-26
Packaged: 2018-03-25 19:52:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3822748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/frau_kali/pseuds/frau_kali
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Not so long into their relationship, Erik wonders what telepathy is like and how it makes Charles see the world.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Show Me Yours and I'll Show You Mine

**Author's Note:**

> Wow, I almost didn't get this done on time. Sad I missed most of the anon period, though. Anyway, this is an idea I've had in my head for a few months and I figured I'd write it for this.

**Erik**

Sometimes when they finished making love, Charles would lay his head against Erik's chest (or just fall forward and settle in, if he'd been riding him) and listen to Erik's heartbeat, like there was something beautiful about that. Once when Erik asked him why he did it, Charles said he wasn't just listening to the heartbeat, but the calm, contentment of Erik's mind in his afterglow. He said he liked to see Erik in such of a state, which Erik always answered with silence.

Tonight, though, when he'd come back to himself, Erik chose to lay on his side with one elbow propped up and watch Charles, occasionally sliding fingers over the love bites he'd left on Charles' neck, or just the freckles that dusted Charles' shoulders.

Charles, for his part, looked sated and rather pleased with both himself and Erik, though of course it would only be a matter of time before he wanted to go again, Erik felt sure. Sometimes he seemed insatiable, and Erik loved that about him.

Outside, the sound of voices came, three people laughing and talking loudly. Erik could sense all the metal they had on, had sensed it before they started making any noise, and that got him wondering.

“The people around us, do you ever have to erase their memories?” He drew closer to Charles, tangling himself up against him, lips against his ear. “With how loud you are, you must have to,” he added, entirely a tease. He loved the sounds Charles made, or the way his name sounded on Charles' lips.

Charles beamed at him, cheeks flushing as if to convey an innocence he certainly never had. “Sometimes I do, yes, it depends on the reactions I see in their thoughts.” He suddenly seemed pleased with what he planned to say next, turning slightly in Erik's gasp just to look into his eyes before he added: “Not all of them hate that there are people like us who do these sorts of things, and who care for each other. Those ones, those who I know won't give us away, I leave them alone. The others, though... I don't enjoy doing that, Erik, but I have to protect us.”

Erik deliberately ignored Charles' obvious attempt to bait him into continuing their ongoing debate over the humans, feeling far too blissed out to bother with that now. Besides, his curiosity hadn't yet been satisfied.

Outside, they could both still hear the voices of the humans, and as Erik traced a finger along Charles' freckled shoulder, he continued his previous line of questioning: “Can you hear their thoughts right now? Or the people in the rooms around us?” He knew Charles could hear his, or rather the ones he thought loudly enough; he trusted, somehow, that Charles wasn't going to go poking around inside his head.

The telepath shifted back into Erik's touch with a slight shiver they both knew wasn't from cold, and gave him a smile. “If you're curious about how my powers work, Erik, I could just show you.” He raised his fingers to Erik's temple.

Oh. Erik hadn't quite expected that, hadn't thought of asking to have something so intimate, so personal, shared with him like that. He put his hand over Charles' and just nodded. 

Charles simply leaned forward and brushed their lips together, perhaps an affirmation that Erik was welcome to this, before Charles' familiar, quiet presence in his head was suddenly two-fold, then three, and Erik felt like he was surrounded by the other man and his thoughts and feelings, a large part of which were reserved for Erik, for how wonderful Erik was, how much he was enjoying every moment they spent together--

Erik gasped, overwhelmed with it all, not just Charles' feelings toward him. He almost jerked away, but the weight of it was suddenly lifted as Charles sent a whispered thought to him, so much louder than normal: _Just relax, darling, it should only take a moment._ A sense of calm draped over him then, like a blanket, and he tried to listen to Charles' advice.

And then everything—the feelings, the overwhelming sense of _Charles_ —all melted away and Erik felt some sense of normalcy again, but for Charles' continued muted presence, lingering at the borders of his mind like usual. Only, something was different now.

_\--so pleased I can share this with him, no one's ever asked for it before._

He almost jumped in surprise at the voice, Charles' voice, thinking things that were clearly not directed at him, not in the way they usually were. He shifted, Charles' hand still resting on his temple, and looked into his friend's smiling face as more suddenly bombarded him from all around.

The people outside: One of the men thought the lady was rather fetching, wanted to ask her to date him, while the other man's thoughts were turned toward the first man, full of lust and shame and self-loathing. He wanted him, and hated himself for it, thought he should go back to church. The strength of all those feelings was almost too much, nearly overshadowed the way the other man thought about the girl, or what the girl thought of the movie they'd just seen.

And it wasn't just them, either, but tons of other small voices, fragments of thoughts from the rooms around them, some of them quiet, dreaming. Erik wondered if he could focus on any one of them, and the second he thought that everything narrowed down to an old woman, on her way to visit her son, sleeping in her bed next door. She dreamt happily of her youth, and her deceased husband.

Erik's lips parted, and he stared at Charles. “This is how you see the world?” He whispered, his voice thick; he was still picking up the barest of thoughts from everyone else around them, a cacophony of voices, quiet and loud, a sea of emotions he couldn't discern. “How do you not go mad?”

_I have shields,_ Charles answered, this thought feeling different from the others, because it was projected right at him. And then, very suddenly, everything but the old woman's dream went silent, and Erik understood it better then. _I don't usually keep them so strong, it takes more effort, but I like it just enough so it isn't overwhelming, so I can only pick up the loud thoughts, or the ones you want me to hear, in your case._

And then, at last, Charles pulled away entirely, and Erik gasped, taking in a sharp breath as the world returned to normal, to how he usually saw things. He steadied himself by feeling out all the metal in the room, the experience of seeing things as Charles did both shocking and utterly incredibly.

“Thank you,” he whispered, understanding everything better now.

“No, Erik, thank _you_.” Charles smiled at him. “No one has ever asked me that before, not even Raven. Thank you for letting me share it with you.” He leaned in and kissed him, running a hand over his cheek. “I wonder if.. Will you let me see how the world is for you now?”

**Charles**

Charles felt sure Erik would say no to his request; he knew Erik was still getting used to having him in his mind, even only a little, and that he'd not yet fully won the other man's trust. His heart dropped a little when Erik sat up, untangling himself from Charles and resting one hand on the sheets.

“You don't already know?” Erik said softly. “You were in my head-- You've _been_ in my head, this whole time.” He almost sounded... pained, which made Charles wonder if he ought to have not asked at all, but how could he not? Erik's power was incredible, and he wanted to see it, too, and wanted to show Erik that it was alright.

He sat up, gingerly laying a hand on his friend's shoulder, not wanting to get too close lest Erik walk away. This was still new, after all. “No, I'm afraid I don't; most of the time, if I'm in your mind that much, you're making me too incoherent to concentrate on anything.” That comment won him just the slightest smile, a momentary thing, before Erik's face turned expressionless again. If they were more mentally connected, he felt sure he would've felt Erik's pride, too.

He was silent for a moment, then continued: “That night, when I first saw inside your head, it was quite overwhelming, and most of what I got was... well, the unhappy memories.” What Shaw had done, how important Erik's vengeance was, and Erik's utter determination; he'd gotten glimpses of how heavy the submarine felt, yes, but only glimpses. Really, feeling Erik's mind like that, it had only made him want to know the man more.

“I'd very much like to see the whole of your mind, my friend, to take the time to explore it. I've never sensed anyone more beautiful than you,” he added, softly, “but that's not what I'm asking tonight, Erik.”

Erik met his eyes, a sadness there that Charles rarely saw, but that he knew lingered. “You don't want to be in my head, Charles, not like that. You don't want to see who and what I am, or what I've done. And I don't want to hurt you with it.”

He couldn't help himself now, and he took a chance and moved closer to Erik, right up against him, putting his hands on his shoulders, pressing a kiss to the base of his neck. “My friend, I know what you are, and it's not what you say. You're more than what he did to you, I've seen it. I see it every time I look at you.” He kissed Erik's neck again, hand moving to his hair.

Erik didn't move away, didn't even stiffen or tense up like he might've only a week ago. Something in Charles' stomach did a little somersault, then, pleased at how comfortable Erik was getting to be with him. This was not a topic they discussed often, though, and Charles knew it would take time before he could change Erik's mind, but he was determined to chip away at that self loathing, determined for Erik to see how beautiful he was, or to at least stop seeing himself as a monster.

When he made no reply, a clear signal this was not something he wanted to discuss, Charles forged on: “But all that can wait. I really only need to see one small part of your mind, the one that will let me see how you perceive the world, how your power makes that perception exceptionally unique.”

A quiet sort of amazement and disbelief simmered on the surface of Erik's mind; he was always surprised when Charles said such things, when he praised or expressed awe in either him or his power. But especially in him.

Finally, though, he spoke, muttering: “Persistent.” He glanced at Charles, then simply nodded.

“Thank you, Erik,” Charles replied, smiling one of his big smiles, the kind that he knew Erik had come to love but would never admit to. Arms wrapped around Erik's neck now, he brought up a hand and pressed his fingers to Erik's temple.

Steadying Erik in his arms, or trying to, Charles felt the other man's mind reluctantly open for him, even as Erik slammed the doors to the parts of his mind he wanted to keep off-limits. Charles was only vaguely aware of Erik's desperate attempts not to think about certain things, things he stayed away from.

_It's alright, love_ , he sent, voice soft and reassuring. _I'm not going to go any deeper, I promise._ Nevermind how beautiful Erik's mind was, the outward orderliness of it hiding a deeper brilliance that seemed to pull Charles in. Ever since he'd been given access to surface thoughts, been allowed to linger on the edges, he'd not been able to exit completely, except during those moments when Erik demanded it.

He felt sure, often, that he could stay like this forever.

However, his eagerness to experience this aspect of Erik won out, and he sought out that one part of Erik's mind that he'd only barely touched the night they met, the part that controlled his power. He closed his eyes, immediately seeing the world through Erik's and--

Oh. _Oh_!

He—or rather, Erik—could perceive every bit of metal around him, feel the texture of it, the weight, the size, everything. None of it struck Charles as a particularly strong sense, it was more like a sort of muted thing; he felt vaguely aware of the metal in the walls, the gears and bobs in the watches of the people outside, the door handles...

And the coin in Erik's pocket, the coin Shaw had given him the day he killed his mother, the one Erik had carried all these years, that stuck out strongly. Charles felt the strength of it through Erik. He also felt a pang of sorrow, entirely his own, for Erik's agony, for how he carried the coin everywhere, and his mission, the one Charles hadn't yet tried to sway him from.

Feeling that gave him pause, except that there were other strong metals in the room, too, and he didn't want to have that argument now, not yet.

So instead he turned his attention to the other things, as if Erik were steering him toward them: the loose change in the pockets of Charles' trousers, resting where he'd left them on the floor, or the pen in the jacket he'd placed on the table, or the metal in the bottoms of his shoes. These were strong, known, important, almost as much as Shaw's coin.

“ _Well_...” Charles breathed, unable to keep the word to just a thought.

And Erik clearly knew what he was focused on, as Charles made sure to keep him aware of what he was doing at all times. “When I'm around someone for a long time, I become more attuned to their metal, as if it were part of them,” he said, and for a moment Charles thought he caught a burst of affection from Erik, a feeling that quickly disappeared.

Still, he wasn't afraid to push his own pleasure toward Erik at that, a thrill going through him at the thought of his friend getting to know his presence by the metal he wore, learning it so he could feel Charles in a whole other way, so he could know when he was close, or seek him out when he was farther away. To think that he meant that much to Erik... And to contrast that with the importance of Shaw's coin; he knew he was right about Erik being good, if he could care so much for Charles.

He must've projected some of those thoughts, too, because Erik was thinking very clearly now about how pretty Charles might look with metal rings attached to his already sensitive nipples, or metal bracelets around his wrists, or--

“ _Erik_ ,” Charles whispered, “you're distracting me, my friend.”

Erik ran his fingers over one of Charles' arms, leaning back against him. “Sorry,” he whispered, sounding absolutely nothing of the sort.

_So this is how you see the world, all the time?_ Charles sent, trying to get back to the task at hand, to Erik's wondrous ability.

Erik nodded. _Yes, but if I concentrate..._ He closed his eyes, and Charles felt the barest hint of his concentration before suddenly, everything seemed _more_ \--all the metal stood out to him, the feel of it stronger; he had a sharper sense of the watches and jewellery of the people outside as they moved away, could probably discern the type of each car in the parking lot. Everything felt stronger, as if it were all on the tips of Erik's fingers, like when Charles let his shields down and could sense every thought around him. Erik's power, like his own, was like a sixth sense, a part of him.

_Wonderful,_ he thought, tilting his head to kiss Erik's shoulder. He thought of the change in his pocket then. _But I'd like-- May I try?_

Erik _did_ stiffen now, and Charles quickly added: _I don't mean through mind control, I would never—I mean—I'd like to see what's it like. Could you move something for me?_

Erik swallowed, but nodded anyway. He brought up a hand, and Charles, still with his eyes closed, still borrowing Erik's sight, perceived the way he sensed it, how he reached for the change in the trouser pockets, as if he was reaching with his fingers, bidding it to come to him. With that, too, came a feeling Charles couldn't help but pick up on: rage. Erik's rage, Erik's anger at what had happened to him, to his mother, to his people. Charles pulled back to keep from seeing the memories conjured up by that rage, knowing they weren't for his eyes. Still, it saddened him to know that was the trigger Erik used for his ability, that Erik had learned to unlock it that way.

The coins floated from Charles' pockets and up into the air, hovering above the bed. There were only a few of them, but Erik—and Charles, too—could feel every inch of each one, every little curve, even the warmth of them from where they'd been sitting.

Charles opened his eyes then, breathing out in amazement as he reached forward and took one of the coins and— _oh_ , Erik could feel that, too, Charles' fingers against the metal, like a caress, as if Charles were touching his skin. He gave Erik a smile, an expression that said he would absolutely be exploring _that_ more later. The look Erik gave him right back welcomed the very thought of it.

“Well?” Erik asked, when the coins had been returned to the trouser pocket and Charles had withdrawn, somewhat reluctantly, back to the periphery of his mind. “Is that what you wanted?”

“Yes, yes of course it was.” Charles resettled himself into Erik's arms as they both fell back onto the bed. “You're astonishing Erik, just splendid. Thank you for that.” He wanted to say something about the anger, too, but the way Erik's mind whirled with its usual awe at the compliments kept him from bringing it up, from wanting to ruin the moment. He knew Erik could be more than that, and he'd show him how some day, when Erik was more willing to learn, to trust him enough that Charles could go as deep into his mind as would be needed.

For now, though, he just kept close to Erik, just pressed their bodies together and kissed him lightly. Everything felt so very right, and he felt like he knew Erik on a deeper level than he had previously.

“If you're finished with your compliments, Charles,” Erik said it almost in a way that made him want to protest, “then we still have a little more time before we should sleep.” He traced his hand over Charles' chest then, down beneath the sheets, and Charles bit his lip in a way he knew Erik found deliciously obscene.

“I like complimenting you,” Charles said, voice slightly on edge, hips shifting upward against Erik's hand.

Erik shook his head, long fingers wrapping around Charles' length, hard in just a matter of moments thanks to his touch. “You're incredibly naive, Charles.” He'd propped himself up on his elbow, watching Charles with want dancing behind his eyes. Charles looked back at him with complete approval, any protest forgotten. Erik liked to tease him about how much he wanted it, but it always delighted him when Erik initiated, when it became clear how badly they both wanted it.

And then Erik's hand slid into Charles' tousled hair, giving it little pulls that made Charles gasp, made him forget all about what he was thinking. Not so long together, and Erik had already learned so much about what he liked.

“But,” Erik added, “I do like it when my work is appreciated.”

Charles might've taken the time to ponder the kinds of compliments Erik preferred, and the game of cognitive dissonance Erik was engaging in with that, but the metalkinetic had already begun taking him apart, lips pressed to Charles', hand working over Charles' cock nice and slow, fingers pulling his hair.

He didn't need words to let Erik know he would be appreciating what he did, as always, and that he looked very much forward to making use of all the applications Erik's power had in that particular realm. He wrapped his arms around Erik, hips shifting upwards, and just let himself get lost in the utter perfection of this moment, and everything that was _Erik_ ; how he'd come to know him on a deeper level just minutes ago, every bit of brilliance and happiness he gave Charles, and all that Charles wanted to give him in return.


End file.
